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Cardiotoxic Effects of Micrurus surinamensis (Cuvier, 1817) Snake Venom

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Abstract

Micrurus surinamensis is a coral snake from the Elapidae family of wide distribution in Amazonia Forest. Its venom contains neurotoxins that induce muscular and respiratory paralysis; however, its cardiovascular action is not yet characterized. The aim of this study was to investigate the cardiotoxic effects caused by M. surinamensis poisoning in rodents. Twelve guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) were distributed in two groups (n = 6) named as control and envenomed. The control group received 0.2 ml of PBS/BSA via intramuscular injection (IM), while envenomed animals received 0.75 µg of venom per g of body weight, also via IM. Electrocardiographic examination (ECG) and biochemical serum tests were conducted before and 2 h after inoculation. ECG of the envenomed animals revealed severe progressive arrhythmias including atrioventricular block, supraventricular, and ventricular extrasystoles. Serum biochemistry showed significant increase in CK, CK-MB, and LDH enzymes corroborating the skeletal and cardiac muscle damage. Myonecrosis and degeneration were observed in both skeletal and heart muscle; nevertheless, transmission electron microscopy revealed cardiac muscle fibers fragmentation. In conclusion, M. surinamensis venom has a potent cardiotoxic activity eliciting arrhythmogenic effects and heart damage after only 2 h of envenomation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Clínica e Cirurgia Veterinárias, Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil

    Lilian de Paula Gonçalves Reis, Clara Rojo Novais, Aparecida Tatiane Lino Fiúza, Maira Souza Oliveira Barreto, Marina Guimarães Ferreira & Marília Martins Melo

  2. Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Escola de Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Rodovia Goiânia- Nova Veneza, km 8, Campus Samambaia, Goiânia, GO, 74690-900, Brazil

    Ana Flávia Machado Botelho

  3. Instituto Nacional de Salud, Lima, Peru

    Cesar Bonilla

  4. Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil

    Carlos Chavez-Olórtegui

Authors
  1. Lilian de Paula Gonçalves Reis
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  2. Ana Flávia Machado Botelho
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  3. Clara Rojo Novais
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  6. Marina Guimarães Ferreira
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Correspondence to Ana Flávia Machado Botelho or Marília Martins Melo.

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The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article.

Ethical Approval

All experimental animals were used in accordance with experimentation ethics, respecting animal welfare and minimizing any discomfort. The present study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Animal Use (CEUA) of the Universidade Federal Minas Gerais, protocol nº 192/2016.

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Reis, L.P.G., Botelho, A.F.M., Novais, C.R. et al. Cardiotoxic Effects of Micrurus surinamensis (Cuvier, 1817) Snake Venom. Cardiovasc Toxicol 21, 462–471 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12012-021-09640-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12012-021-09640-7

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